"My Lady, are you sure you'll give it up?" Rose worriedly asked, 'Ten thousand huh...'
Copper Fox guided us to the backroom, where there is a gallery of the items that were sold today, before we reached the gallery what seems to be a museum is presented to the nobles. "Copper Fox—"
"Did you find anything to your liking, My Lady?" He probably saw the horror in my face when he was startled when he looked at me, "Oh no, My Lady, these... Apologies for the sight. Hey, you! Hide these away! Where's the cloth?" He tried to hide them away, 'How can I just ignore them?'
Young children wearing ragged clothes and all are malnutrition, some of them were sold tonight but some... "What happens to the child who no one bids for?"
"I... Uh. Well, if we're being honest, they'd either be shipped away or turn into slaves of the auction, they work until for the next year's auction where they are presented again."
"Shipped away? Where?"
"I... I don't know, My Lady." He said, but step forward and lean to me, "They are most likely shipped to the Butcher of the North."
"Aah!" Rose gasped as she eavesdropped to Copper Fox's whisper, "But I am not sure, My Lady. For all I know, the Butcher is a mere myth to scare these children away to make them serve better the auction once they are not sold."
Rose might've sigh a relief, believing the Fox's word, but I know the story very well.
[In the icy mountains of the Astoria Kingdom, parents tell a tale to keep children away from the forests. Long ago, a hunter named Varlok was cursed for killing an enchanted deer. Transformed into the Butcher of the North, he now roams the woods with crimson eyes and sharp claws, mimicking voices to lure children away.
The warning: "Stay away from the forest at night, for the Butcher seeks those who wander too far."]
[The angelic female lead, Stella, attended the Night Auction with a heavy heart, granted entry by the Crown Prince to ease her mind after his marriage to the villainess, Celeste. Holding a VVIP card identical to Celeste's, Stella's initial curiosity turned to horror as she witnessed women and children being auctioned as slaves. Powerless and penniless, she could do nothing to intervene.
Determined to help, Stella secretly slipped through the back door, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and resolve. In the dimly lit corridors behind the auction hall, she encountered a slave—a young man with striking features and a fierce determination in his eyes. Unbeknownst to her, this chance meeting would lead to the slave becoming the story's second lead, altering the course of their lives forever.]
'The second lead wasn't sold off, he was sealed away because drugs don't work for him. From what I know, he is a fallen royal from a nearby fallen kingdom. He has platinum hair and brown eyes. He's also relatively younger.'
I couldn't look away from the blinds that hides the other slaves away, Copper Fox persistently wants us to move forward and I felt like it's beyond me to look for the second lead.
"Get back in line, you filthy wretch!" A man's voice scolded beyond the blinds.
*Crash!*
"Oomph!"
*Whack!*
"Stop fighting, you little—" Another voice said. This time, a whipping leather falter to the metal cages.
*Thud!*
"You'll regret this!"
*Clang!*
"Hold him down, now!"
"What's that?!" I didn't wait for Copper Fox to answer, I proceed to the blinds and look for the sound. 'I'm not the female lead, I'm not sympathetic at all! But-but, how can I turn away from this abuse?!'
I moved through the dimly lit corridor of the auction house. Quickening my pace, I rounded a corner to find a scene of chaos. A burly man stood by a large cage, whipping at the bars with brutal force. Inside, a young man with wild eyes and a defiant expression fought back fiercely.
"Stop fighting, you little—"
*Thud!*
The man's arm drew back to strike again, but before he could bring the whip down, I stepped forward, my voice cold and commanding.
"That's enough!"
The man froze mid-motion, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of me. For a moment, the only sound was the heavy breathing of the slave and the distant echoes of the auction.
"You—What are you doing back here?" the man stammered, lowering the whip slightly.
I narrowed my eyes, my gaze icy. "I said, that's enough."
Copper Fox backed me up by stealing the leather whip from the men. "What are you doing?!" He scolded the two.
Before the man could respond, the slave inside the cage seized the opportunity. With a hiss, he lunged forward, his arm darting through the bars to grab the man by the collar. The sudden movement caused the man to yelp in surprise, dropping the whip.
"Let go of me, you little—" the man gasped, his voice strained as he struggled against the slave's grip.
I stepped closer, my presence imposing. "Release him," I ordered the slave gently.
The young man with white hair hesitated, his red eyes locking onto mine. After a moment, he slowly loosened his grip, allowing the man to stumble back, breathing heavily and glaring at both of us.
"This isn't over," the man muttered, rubbing his neck where the slave had grabbed him.
I didn't spare him another glance. My attention was fully on the slave, who met my gaze with a mix of defiance and distrust.
The slave went to the back part of his cage, compare to other slaves, he has a bigger cage as if a monster inhabits on it. I could barely see him, "Open this."
"Lady!" I heard Rose who just catch up, "I said open this at once!"
Copper Fox looked back and forth to Rose and me, but all I care for is the slave on this cage.
Copper Fox picked up the chain of keys, hesitated, "Black Rose there's a reason why this one is not sold back there."
"I didn't ask."
"But—"
"Is it open? Let me in."
Copper Fox hesitated for the last time, he looks at my back, as if asking Rose for help, "Do you not want your commission? I said let me in!"
"I-uh...." He pulled the door wide open. "I-I tried to stop you!" Once I enter the cage, he hastily locked the gate again, "What are you doing—!" Then before my eyes, Rose was knocked by the man who was holding the whip earlier. "You—!"
The blinds that was lifted on my command was also placed back, leaving me with the slave, in this cage.
The air was thick with the pungent odor of rust and sweat. The metallic tang of the rusty cage mingled with the sharp, sour scent of perspiration, creating an almost suffocating atmosphere.
"Stupid."
"Excuse me?!"
Its not that far, the slave's voice. It was cold, yet childish.
"Hey, didn't I just help you?!" My eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness, I navigated the cage with my eyes holding through the cage's metal.
'Maybe he was right, I was stupid. Unlike the female lead who save him eloquently, I was here, stuck, with Rose getting knocked up.'
"Ah!" That's when I realize I was stepping on his hand, "Sorry!"
"Stupid."
"Don't you know any word than stupid?!"
'He had few appearances as a second lead, he sworn his loyalty to the female lead, like a dog, he work tirelessly as a swordman and eventually, his hard earned work payed off, he did not only became a knight but became an Arcane Knight.'
"Stupid. Noble."
I seated beside him, "Why were you locked up here? Where are you from? Why weren't you sold?"
"Loreia." He answered. And then, he continue to talk. 'It was never elaborated in the novel, but, he doesn't know the Astorian Kingdom's language. After all he is a slave from a foreign kingdom.'
I heard footsteps approaching, heavy and deliberate. My heart pounded as I quickly called out for help, my voice trembling with urgency. "Help!"
"Help us! We've been caged in here!"
"Who's there?" came the gruff reply from two men who had appeared, their voices echoing in the dim light.
"Our guide mentioned them," another voice answered, "slaves."
One of the men's voices grew curious. "The slaves are from a fallen neighboring kingdom, right? How can they speak Astorian?"
Before I could react, they rushed to the cage. Two men, in black, one wears a bunny mask, and the other. "You—!" The man who outbid me with the Celestial Dreamstone, Emerald Panther.
"I didn't know you are for sale, Black Rose."